Contents

Synopsis

Plot

The episode begins during Star Butterfly's first slumber party at the Diaz Household, where she, Jackie Lynn Thomas, Janna, StarFan13, and Pony Head give each other makeovers in the bathroom. A short while later, Star makes frosted brownies in the kitchen. The other girls (except StarFan13) do not appear to like them, but they pretend that they do. When they hear synth jazz music coming from the den, they find Marco playing a keyboard and wearing a vest and sunglasses in an attempt to impress Jackie. Sensing Marco's feelings for Jackie, Pony Head lightly teases him and proposes that they play a special game.

In Star's bedroom, the kids gather around a strange cube, which is the centerpiece for a magical truth-telling game called Truth or Punishments. Marco, not wanting to reveal any of his deepest secrets, tries to leave, but the girls convince him to stay and play with them. The cube starts to speak, and explains that the players must answer three questions truthfully or suffer increasingly harsh punishments.

After having each player swear to tell the truth, the cube asks the first question: "What is your favorite color?" Pony Head answers "Pony-Head-color", Star and StarFan13 answer yellow, Jackie answers neon green, Marco answers red, and Janna answers black. However, the cube detects that one of them is lying and shocks all of them with tickle-inducing electricity. Janna confesses that her favorite color is actually pink and that she only answered black because she hates "conforming to gender stereotypes." Satisfied with the answer, the cube removes the electricity, but proceeds to create a giant cube around Star's loft to keep the kids boxed inside.

The second question the cube asks is, "What did you really think of Star's brownies?" Jackie, Janna, Pony Head, and StarFan13 claim that they loved the brownies, but the cube detects that they are lying, causing all of the kids' bodies to deform and become grotesque. They confess to lying and apologize for hurting Star's feelings, and the cube returns them to normal. Star says she does not want to play anymore, but the cube refuses to let the kids leave until they answer the final question.

The cube's final question is, "Who do you have a crush on?" Marco does not want to answer, but Jackie suggests they just answer so the game will end. Jackie says she has a crush on a boy she met at skate camp last summer. Star answers Oskar Greason, StarFan13 answers Star Butterfly, Pony Head answers herself, and Janna answers 18th-century poet John Keats. Star tells Marco he does not have to answer, but Marco says it is okay, and he answers Jackie Lynn Thomas, much to Jackie's shock.

Unfortunately, the cube once again detects that someone is lying. Marco insists he is telling the truth and briefly questions the nature of his crush on Jackie, wondering if he truly likes her or merely his perfect image of her. The cube pauses to praise Marco for his honesty, but it says he is not the one who lied. It suddenly transforms into a diamond-shaped creature with two mouths and attacks the kids by warping the space around them, with Star unable to fight back with her magic. Before the cube can destroy the kids, Star asks why it is being so cruel, and the cube expresses its severe distaste for lies, insisting that those who lie must be wiped out. Star argues that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between telling the truth or lying; a person's head and heart can disagree so much that even they do not know what the truth is. She demonstrates this by saying her favorite color is now blue, and the cube detects that she is telling the truth. In addition, Jackie is not sure who she has a crush on anymore.

Star argues further that the truth cannot be seen as black and white, but as something with many colors or shades like a rainbow. The cube is unable to process this reasoning and breaks down, ending the game. The next morning, the cube is thrown into the garbage, and Star's party guests leave. Star suggests to Marco that they get some breakfast burritos, but Marco, gazing dreamily at the departing Jackie, just wants to go to bed. In frustration, Star shouts out Marco's name. Outside, the cube is thrown into the back of a garbage truck. It hears Star call out Marco's name and says, "Truth. Star Butterfly has a crush on..." just before it is crushed in the trash compactor.